Radar, lightning detection, and automated alerts in one system
SELERYS storm early warning programs give site operators up to 60 minutes to act before lightning, torrential rain, hail, or slippery conditions put people and property at risk. Three of our systems work together: the SKYDETECT radar, the EVEARLYS interferometer, and the CIRRUS software, with all data gathered into a single dashboard with automated alerts.
How storm early warning works:
- Storm anticipation: the SKYDETECT X-band radar spots storm cells within a 30 km radius as they form
- Interferometry: EVEARLYS, the only industrial VHF/UHF interferometer, detects over 99% of total lightning activity
- CIRRUS software: a dashboard that anticipates risks up to 60 minutes ahead and forecasts cloud motion 10 to 20 minutes ahead
- Alerts: SMS, email, or voice call when a storm cell crosses a set threshold
- Deployment: SKYDETECT and EVEARLYS install in a single day, while mobile trailers cover urgent or temporary needs
Key use cases for storm early warning
- Airports and space launch sites: lightning warning gives ground crews time to postpone runway operations or hold a launch countdown.
- Construction sites: crews secure the site and clear exposed areas before the storm arrives.
- Energy sites: a single lightning strike can mean hours of downtime for solar farms and substations, while a hailstorm can destroy panels in minutes.
- Mining sites: open-pit operators stop heavy haulage and move equipment off unpaved tracks before downpours make the ground slippery, and outdoor crews take shelter from lightning.
- Agriculture: one violent storm can wipe out a season’s harvest, so vineyard and orchard growers need the extra time to save their plots.
- Urban infrastructure and transportation: operators adjust service schedules or secure equipment before the storm hits.
- Cloud seeding programs: the LAICO balloon and drone teams of SELERYS rely on EVEARLYS and SKYDETECT to choose the right moment to launch a seeding mission.
SKYDETECT and EVEARLYS combined
SKYDETECT is a short-range X-band radar designed by SELERYS. It scans the half-sphere of sky above a site in high definition every minute. Together with EVEARLYS, it provides a complete diagnosis of a storm cell through dual-sensor coupling, an exclusive innovation patented by SELERYS. The radar detects a forming cell, while the interferometer analyzes its electrical activity to measure its maturity.
Track record and recognition
- SKYDETECT: first deployed in 2006, it draws on a proprietary database of 20 years of storm history
- VHF/UHF interferometry: compares when a lightning signal reaches each antenna panel to locate the discharge inside the cloud
- EVEARLYS: picks up intra-cloud and cloud-to-ground discharges, able to map 10,000 times more lightning emission sources than any other operational sensor
- Recognition: NASA and EUMETSAT recognize VHF/UHF interferometry as one of the most robust techniques for detecting storm electrical signals
- Reaction time: site operators get more lead time than rainfall-based detection alone could provide
- EXAEDRE campaign, Corsica, 2018: EVEARLYS tracked lightning flashes alongside SAETTA, a French research 3D lightning mapping array (LMA)
- Industrial vs. research: LMA networks are run only by research teams, whereas EVEARLYS works on operational sites every day
CIRRUS: a unified dashboard for weather missions
CIRRUS is SELERYS’ weather decision support software, bringing all the data into one easy-to-use platform. It centralizes SKYDETECT’s radar feed, EVEARLYS’s measurements of in-cloud electrical activity, third-party data, and telemetry from the LAICO balloons and drones. The software supports multi-user management with role-based access for field crews, control-room operators, and management.
What CIRRUS adds
- Alerts: the automated alert module sends notifications by email, SMS, and voice message
- Activity history: every alert and reading enters a searchable log for reviewing past storm episodes
- Mission management: for partners running LAICO balloons or drones, CIRRUS sends launch commands remotely and processes GPS positions and radiosonde data in real time
The SELERYS storm early warning system at a glance
| System | What it does | Key capability |
|---|---|---|
| SKYDETECT | X-band radar watching the sky over a site to spot a developing storm cell | 30 km radius, installs in one day, mobile trailers available |
| EVEARLYS | VHF/UHF interferometer that reads a storm cell's lightning activity to judge its maturity | Detection rate above 99%, 10,000x more lightning sources than competing sensors |
| CIRRUS | Software that unifies both feeds plus the LAICO fleet into one alert dashboard | Risk anticipation up to 60 minutes, 10 to 20 minute cloud-motion forecast, automated SMS/email/phone alerts |
Frequently asked questions
What is storm early warning, and which systems does SELERYS use for it?
Storm early warning is the detection and alerting part of SELERYS’s weather risk management infrastructure. It relies on three systems: 1) SKYDETECT, an X-band radar that identifies developing storm cells; 2) EVEARLYS, a VHF/UHF interferometer that measures the overall electrical activity of cloud cells; and 3) CIRRUS, the software that combines the radar and interferometer feeds on a single alert dashboard.
Does EVEARLYS detect a storm before or after SKYDETECT?
Neither, because the two installations work simultaneously. SKYDETECT isolates a storm cell as it develops, while EVEARLYS quantifies the cell’s electrical activity, which shows how severe the lightning risk is and how the storm is evolving.
How much lightning activity does EVEARLYS detect?
More than 99% of all lightning in its coverage area, whether intra-cloud, cloud-to-cloud, or cloud-to-ground, and it resolves ten thousand times as many individual emission sources as competing sensors. NASA and EUMETSAT are among the reference organizations that recognize interferometry, the technology behind this level of detection.
How fast does a storm alert reach the designated operator?
CIRRUS sends an automatic alert the moment a defined weather threshold is crossed, reaching the person in charge even outside the control room. The system can also be monitored remotely from a smartphone, tablet, or computer.
How long does it take to install a storm early warning system?
SELERYS installs a SKYDETECT radar and an EVEARLYS interferometer on an existing building or tower in one day. Sites that need urgent coverage can use a mobile trailer with a mast-mounted radar.
Can a client already using SELERYS's cloud seeding, hail risk mitigation, or rain and snow enhancement programs add storm early warning?
Yes. CIRRUS is already central to mission management for SELERYS’s fleet of LAICO balloons and drones, where it handles remote launch commands and live GPS and radiosounding data. A site with an existing cloud seeding installation can bring storm early warning into the same software environment.
Which sectors can use SELERYS's storm early warning systems?
Airports and rocket launch sites, mining, construction and public works, energy (especially solar plants and substations), agriculture, transportation networks and urban infrastructure, as well as SELERYS’s own cloud seeding programs, all rely on the early warnings delivered by CIRRUS.
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